A group of Second Year De Montfort University students studying Game Art Design. This blog is to document our participation in the 'Off The Map' competition from Game City, Crytek and The British Library.

Playing with Legos - The Interior Tile Set

After the planning that we put into the modular pieces and
all the measurements and blueprints we drew out, we needed to make sure that
everything fit together; we didn't want that planning to go to waste. Our
300x25x400 measurements worked out well in Cryengine, so we could get one large
wall tile with enough height to give a sense of the grandeur that we experienced at Wollaton Hall.

The modular pieces we needed for the interior were not quite
as extensive as the exterior, but still important none the less; with the
exterior we can get away with a few mistakes, but the interior you're always up
close and personal. Mistakes will be noticed. I was put in charge of the
hallway and courtyard areas so it made sense for me to manage the interior tile
set as well.

We made 14 different pieces for the interior tile set and a
load of textures to go along with them.

The courtyard pieces took the longest to make. Using
symmetry and boolean I was able to create the windows I wanted following relatively
closely to the concepts I'd designed. I did the same for the courtyard upper
windows. Building the white box in Cryengine definitely helped me figure out how many pieces we'd need and which

I decided to express some of the gothic architecture within
these pieces; big pointed arches and intricate patterns were defining features.
For the texturing we stuck with the exterior stone wall, meaning it looked
cohesive.

The interior, however, was something we could have more free
reign with. I originally had a stone block texture for the hallway pieces, but
the texture itself was too aggressive. In fact, it didn't make sense within the
context of the level; it's a manor house, not a castle.

Going back to the reference images we had from Wollaton Hall,
I decided on a white/cream stone/plaster texture. Much smoother and more
neutral texture which also harkened back to "The Shining" reference.

Once these were all made, it was simple to block out the shell of the level and
it was very satisfying to see it all come together.-Hannah